Defense Watch

By William J. Lynn, III, U.S. deputy secretary of Defense, Washington, D.C. As disaster struck Japan and revolution swept the Middle East, Americans again watched global events unfold in real time through a network of satellites in space that has revolutionized both information dissemination and how we live. For decades, we have taken this network

By Roger Gant, a contract employee supporting the InnoVision communication team for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), Bethesda, Md. As technology continues to steadily multiply the amount of information available from current and future intelligence sensors, how can analysts expect to keep up? More importantly, how can they make the leap from analyzing discrete

By Dr. Gary E. Weir, historian, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (http://www.nga.mil/), Bethesda, Md. Have you ever heard of the Great Grain Robbery of 1972? What sounds like a train hijacking actually opened the intelligence community’s eyes to the possibilities of a new form of sensory technology that has since become important for defense against military, terrorist,

By André Doumitt, CEO of Geosemble Technologies (http://www.geosemble.com/), El Segundo, Calif. The Department of Homeland Security's all-encompassing mission is "to prevent and deter terrorist attacks, protect against and respond to threats and hazards to the nation, and secure our national borders". Such scope makes it clear that technology must play a central role in meeting that challenge. New sensing, monitoring,

By Dawn Eilenberger, director of the Office of International Affairs and Policy, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (www.nga.mil), Bethesda, Md. Rapid access to unclassified imagery to support disaster response allows the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) to provide planners and coordinators with comprehensive situational awareness when they need it the most. Commercial imagery plays a key role in

By Katherine G., Steve H., and Seana M., imagery scientists in the Office of Sciences and Methodologies, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (www.nga.mil), Bethesda, Md. As rebuilding efforts and military operations continue in Iraq and Afghanistan, the demand for high-quality terrain data has increased steadily. To meet the demand, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has incorporated the

By Thomas A., a radar engineer in the Acquisition Engineering office, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (www.nga.mil), Bethesda, Md. As the number of commercial space radar satellites continues to grow, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) analysts and scientists are beginning to use these systems to advance geospatial intelligence (GEOINT). For example, in December 2009, the agency awarded three